Rake wheels for gathering crop material

ABSTRACT

Rake wheels for a raking apparatus for gathering crop material into a windrow. The rake wheel may include a center hub and a plurality of tines that extend outward from the center hub. In some embodiments, the rake wheel includes support members such as disks for securing and limiting movement of the tines of the rake wheel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/279,128, filed Sep. 28, 2016, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/236,601, filed Oct. 2, 2015, both ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The field of the disclosure relates to raking apparatus and, inparticular, rake wheels for gathering crop material into a windrow. Insome embodiments, each rake wheel includes support members (e.g., disks)for securing and limiting circumferential movement of the tines.

BACKGROUND

Wheel rakes are used to rake crop materials to gather the material intowindrows for baling and to promote drying of the material. Wheel rakesare typically configured as a V-rake, which may include a main framehaving two arms to which a set of rake wheels are attached. The rakearms may be positioned adjacent the main frame in a closed or travelingposition or extended in the form of a “V” in the open or rakingposition. Each rake arm includes a number of suspension mechanisms, eachsupporting a single rake wheel, with four to ten or more rake wheelssupported by each rake arm. The suspension mechanisms allow the rakewheels to change height to follow the terrain while maintaining aconsistent weight of the rake wheel on the ground.

Each rake wheel includes a number of tines or “teeth” that contact thecrop material during rotation of the rake wheel. Over time, the tines ofthe rake wheel wear, particularly at contact points with othercomponents such as a tine support band or “wheel hoop”. This wearcreates stress risers and can cause the tine to fracture. Such fracturesresult in downtime to replace the tine and added expense for the owner.

A continuing need exists for rake wheels that are durable and whichreduce wear and the rate of fracture of the tines.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects ofart that may be related to various aspects of the disclosure, which aredescribed and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to behelpful in providing the reader with background information tofacilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statementsare to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a rake wheel forgathering crop material into a windrow. The rake wheel includes a centerhub having a rotational axis about which the rake wheel rotates. Aplurality of tines extend outward from the center hub. The tines definean outer circumference for engaging a surface over which the rake wheelrotates. The rake wheel includes a first support member for securing thetines and a second support member for securing the tines. The tines areclamped between the first and second support members.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a rake wheel forgathering crop material into a windrow. The rake wheel includes a centerhub having a rotational axis about which the rake wheel rotates. Aplurality of tines extend outward from the center hub. The tines definean outer circumference for engaging a surface over which the rake wheelrotates. The rake wheel includes a disk for securing the tines. The diskhas an outer surface and an inner surface. The outer and inner surfacesextend radially toward the outer circumference. Each tine is secured tothe inner surface to limit circumferential movement of the tines.

Yet a further aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a rakewheel for gathering crop material into a windrow. The rake wheelincludes a center hub having a rotational axis about which the rakewheel rotates. A plurality of tines extend outward from the center hub.The tines define an outer circumference for engaging a surface overwhich the rake wheel rotates. The rake wheel include a disk having anouter surface and an inner surface. The inner surface contacts thetines. The outer and inner surfaces extend radially toward the centralaxis. The rake wheel does not include a support band.

Various refinements exist of the features noted in relation to theabove-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure. Further features mayalso be incorporated in the above-mentioned aspects of the presentdisclosure as well. These refinements and additional features may existindividually or in any combination. For instance, various featuresdiscussed below in relation to any of the illustrated embodiments of thepresent disclosure may be incorporated into any of the above-describedaspects of the present disclosure, alone or in any combination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a raking apparatus having rakes wheel;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the rake wheel;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rake wheel and pivoting member;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a rake wheel with first and second supportmembers not being shown;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a rake wheel with the first support member notbeing shown;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a support member;

FIG. 7 is a partial side view of the rake wheel;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of the rake wheel taken along line 8-8 ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-section view of another embodiment of the rakewheel;

FIG. 10 is a cross-section view of the rake wheel taken along line 10-10of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a side view of another embodiment of a rake wheel with thefirst support member being shown;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the rake wheel of FIG. 11 with a secondsupport member being shown;

FIG. 13 is a detailed partial side view of the rake wheel of FIG. 11with the second support member not being shown;

FIG. 14 is a detailed partial perspective view of the first supportmember of the rake wheel of FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the rake wheel of FIG. 11 with the firstsupport member not shown;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the rake wheelwith the first support member being shown;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the rake wheelwith the first support member being shown;

FIG. 18 is a detailed partial perspective view of the rake wheel of FIG.17 with the second support member not being shown; and

FIG. 19 is a side view of the rake wheel of FIG. 17 with the firstsupport member not being shown.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, a portion of a raking apparatus 1 for gatheringcrop material into a windrow is shown. The raking apparatus 1 (which mayalso be referred to herein as a “wheel rake” or simply “rake”) includesan arm 5 attached to a main frame 9 of the rake 1. The main frame 9includes a tongue 11 for coupling the rake 1 to a pull vehicle (notshown) such as a tractor.

A plurality of rake wheels 15 are attached to each arm 5 by pivotmembers 17 (FIG. 2). A suspension element 21 (FIG. 1) such as ahydraulic cylinder or spring is also attached to the arm 5 and the pivotmember 17. The suspension elements 21 allow the rake wheel 15 toindependently “float” on the surface over which the rake 1 travels byresponding to relative changes in the surface elevation (uneven terrain,obstacles such as rocks, crop piles etc.).

The raking apparatus 1 to which the rake wheel 15 is attached can be anyimplement in which crop or forage material is gathered into a windrow orin which a windrow is turned. Suitable apparatus include, for example,V-rakes, in-line wheel rakes and windrow turners. The rake wheel 15 maybe a standard rake-wheel or may have specialized functions such as withcenter splitter wheels and windrow turner wheels.

Each rake wheel 15 includes a center hub 23 (FIG. 3) and a rotationalaxis A through the center hub 23 about which the rake wheel 15 rotates.A hub assembly 25 (FIG. 4) is attached to the center hub 23. The hubassembly 25 includes a shaft and bearing that facilitates rotation ofthe rake wheel 15 around the shaft. The hub assembly 25 is shown forillustration and is not part of the rake wheel 15 unless statedotherwise.

A plurality of tines 27 extend radially from the center hub 23 (e.g.,directly outward or outward from the hub at an acute angle). The tines27 may be secured to the center hub 23 by clamping the tines between afirst plate 29 (FIG. 3) and a plurality of second plates 31 (FIG. 4).Plate fasteners 33 (e.g., nuts and bolts) are used to provide a clampingforce between the first plate 29 and the second plates 31 to secure thetines 27 within the plates 29, 31.

In the illustrated embodiment, each tine 27 is a single tine having anouter end 32 (FIG. 4) and a hook-shaped inner end 34 for securing thetine 27 to the center hub 23. In other embodiments, each tine 27 isintegrated with a second tine to form a “paired” tine, with each arm ofthe pair being a “tine” as referenced herein.

The tines 27 together define an outer circumference C (FIG. 4) at theirouter ends 32 for engaging the surface over which the rake wheel 15rotates. By contacting the ground as the rake 1 moves forward, the rakewheels 15 rotate and push crop material into a windrow for subsequentbaling.

The rake wheel 15 includes a first support member 39 (FIG. 3) and asecond support member 41 (FIG. 5) for securing each tine 27. The supportmembers 39, 41 are generally planar and extend radially from the centerhub 23. In the illustrated embodiments, the first support member 39(FIG. 3) and the second support member 41 (FIG. 5) are in the form,respectively, of first and second annular disks. While the supportmembers 39, 41 in the illustrated embodiment are annular disks, in otherembodiments the support members 39, 41 may have other shapes. Forexample, the support members 39, 41 may be segmented into differentparts that act to clamp the tines 27 along the inner surfaces 59, 61(FIG. 8) of the support members 39, 41. Further, while the rake wheel 15is shown as having two support members 39, 41, in other embodiments therake wheel includes a single support member that acts to clamp the tines27.

The disks 39, 41 have a center opening 45 (FIG. 6). Each disk 39, 41 hasa width W that extends from the inner diameter ID of the opening 45 toan outer diameter OD. The illustrated disks 39, 41 are exemplary and mayhave shorter or longer inner diameters ID and/or outer diameters OD. Thedisks 39, 41 should be sufficiently wide to provide rigidity andstructure to the disks 39, 41. In other embodiments, the second disk 41does not include a center opening 45 and covers the rake wheel 15 fromthe rotational axis A (FIG. 3) toward its outer circumference C (FIG.4).

The first disk 39 includes a first disk inner surface 59 (FIG. 8) and afirst disk outer surface 60 that extend toward the outer circumference C(FIG. 4) of the rake wheel 15. The second disk 41 similarly includes asecond disk inner surface 61 and a second disk outer surface 62 thatextend toward the outer circumference C (FIG. 4) of the rake wheel 15.The disks 39, 41 may extend radially to at least 50% of the distancebetween the rotational axis A and the outer circumference C of the tines27 as shown in FIG. 5. The tines 27 contact the inner surfaces 59, 61 ofthe first and second disks 39, 41. Tine fasteners 51 extend through andare connected to the disks 39, 41 to exert a clamping force to cause theinner surfaces 59, 61 to clamp and exert a holding force on the tines27.

By securing the inner surfaces 59, 61 to each tine by use of tinefasteners 51, the circumferential movement of each tine relative to thedisks 39, 41 is at least partially limited (i.e., the tines 27 do notmove or their movement is constrained by the disks 39, 41). While thetines 27 have been described herein as being “secured”, “biased” or“clamped” between the support members 39, 41, it should be understoodthat in some embodiments the tines 27 are permitted to move an amountcircumferentially between the support members 39, 41 during use. Theterms “secured”, “biased” or “clamped” as used herein indicate that thesupport members 39, 41 at least partially limit circumferential movementof the tines 27 and should not be implied to refer to full limitation ofcircumferential movement unless stated otherwise (i.e., movement of thetines 27 is restricted by the support members 39, 41 but the tines maymove within support members depending on the degree of force applied tothe tines). The support members 39, 41 may also limit the displacementof the tines 27 in the axial direction relative to the rotational axisA, thereby providing lateral support during operation.

Suitable tine fasteners 51 include any component that fastens, securesor clamps the tines 27 to the support disk (or both disks 39, 41 inembodiments in which two disks are used) and may include, for example,nuts and bolts, clips, straps, rivets, welds (e.g., poly sonic welds),brackets, cables or other suitable retainers.

In some embodiments, only the support members 39, 41 act to limitcircumferential movement of the tines 27 at their outer end 32 (i.e.,nothing outside of the center hub 23 acts to limit circumferentialmovement of the tines 27 other than the support members 39, 41). In suchembodiments, the rake wheels 15 do not include a support band (commonlyreferenced as a “hoop”) having apertures therein through which the tinesextend for securing the tines and limiting their circumferential andlateral (i.e., axial) movement.

Each tine fastener 51 extends between the first support member 39 andthe second member 41 in an interspatial region R (FIG. 8) formed betweenadjacent tines 27. The tine fasteners 51 extend through the supportmembers 39 and 41 near the outer diameter OD (FIG. 6) of the supportmembers (i.e., closer to the outer diameter OD than the inner diameterID of the support members 39, 41).

In some embodiments, spacers (not shown) are positioned between adjacenttines 27 and extend between the first support member 39 and the secondsupport member 41.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-8, the rake wheels 15 include a tine fastener51 for every tine 27. Another embodiment of the rake wheel is shown inFIGS. 9-10. The components shown in FIGS. 9-10 that are analogous tothose of FIGS. 1-8 are designated by the corresponding reference numberof FIGS. 1-8 plus “100” (e.g., part 10 becomes 110). In the embodimentshown in FIGS. 9-10, the rake wheel 115 includes one tine fastener 151for every two tines 127. Other amounts and types of tine fasteners 151may be used with the number of tine fasteners being sufficient to atleast partially limit the circumferential movement of each tine 127.

In the illustrated embodiments, the tine fasteners 51 do not contact thetines 27 while the rake wheel 15 is in a resting position. The first andsecond support members 41 generally provide sufficient clamping force toprevent the tines 27 from contacting the fasteners 51 while the tinestwist and move during use.

In other embodiments, the tine fasteners 51 may directly contact thetines 27, either incidentally during use or in as direct fasteningarrangement. In such embodiments, the portion of the tine fastener 51that contacts the tine 27 may be made of a material that does not causesubstantial wear of the tine 27 (e.g., a polymer material).

The support members 39, 41 may be made of any suitable material thatprovides rigidity to the rake wheel 15 such that circumferentialmovement of the tines 27 is at least partially limited during use of therake 1. Suitable materials include polymers (e.g., polyurethane, nylonand polyethylene), steel, aluminum or other metals. The support members39, 41 may be laminated and include various functional layers (e.g., arigid steel layer and a polymer gasket that contacts the tines). Thetine fasteners 51 may be made of the same material as the tines 27(e.g., steel) or a different material than the tines 27 (e.g., the tinesbeing made of steel and the fasteners 51 being made of a polymer).

Another embodiment of a rake wheel 215 is shown in FIGS. 11-15. Thecomponents shown in FIGS. 11-15 that are analogous to those of FIGS. 1-8are designated by the corresponding reference number of FIGS. 1-8 plus“200” (e.g., part 10 becomes 210). The rake wheel 215 includes a firstsupport member 239 and a second support member 241 (FIG. 12) with tines227 being clamped between the first and second support members 239, 241.The first and second support members 239, 241 are in the form,respectively, of first and second disks.

In the illustrated embodiment, the support members 239, 241 togetherform the center hub 223 to which the tines 227 are attached (i.e., thecenter hub 223 is integral with the support members 239, 241). In otherembodiments, the center hub 223 may be separate from the support members239, 241.

The center hub 223 has pins 264 (FIG. 13) about which the hook-shapedinner end 234 of the tines 227 are looped. The pins 264 may be connectedto the first support member 239 as shown in FIG. 13 or the secondsupport member. The second support member 241 may have correspondingpins (not shown) that extend outward to contact the pins 264 of thefirst support member 239. In other embodiments, the pins of the secondsupport member 241 mate with the pins 264 of the first support member239 in a male-female relationship.

The first support disk 239 includes grooves 265 (FIG. 14). Tines 227(FIG. 11) are received in each groove 265 to limit circumferentialmovement of the tines 227 The groves 265 extend from an inward radialposition, PI, (FIG. 13) along the first support disk 239 to an outerradial position, P_(o). As shown, the outer radial position, P_(o), ofthe grooves corresponds to the outer circumference of the support disk239. It should be noted that grooves 265 may extend between other radialpositions (e.g., further toward the center of the disk 239 and/or spacedfrom the circumferential edge) as in other embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The first support disk 239 also includes ribs 269 on thesurface opposite the grooves 265 to provide rigidity to the supportmember 239 and to provide a consistent wall thickness.

With reference to FIG. 15, the second support disk 241 also includesgrooves and ribs. The tines 227 do not extend within the grooves of thesecond support disk 241 but rather extend across the grooves. Thegrooves of the second support disk 241 allow the second support disk 241and first support disk 239 to be identical parts. In other embodiments,the grooves of the second support disk are arranged to receive the tines227 within the grooves (i.e., both the first and second disks havecorresponding grooves that form channels to receive the tines). In someembodiments, the grooves and/or ribs of the second support disk 241 areeliminated.

As shown in FIG. 14, the first support disk 239 includes first supportdisk pegs 271 and first support disk slots 273 that extend around thecircumference of the disk 239. The pegs 271 and slots 273 alternatearound the circumference. The second support disk 241 includes secondsupport disk pegs 281 and second support disk slots 283 (FIG. 15). Eachfirst support disk peg 271 mates with a corresponding second supportdisk slot 283 and each first support disk slot 273 mates with a secondsupport disk peg 281. The first and second support members 239, 241 maybe indexed such that the disk is rotated an amount during assembly toallow the disk pegs 271 to fully engage the disk slots 273.

The grooves 265 (FIG. 14) of the first support member 239 act to limitthe circumferential and axial movement of the tines 227. The pegs 271,281 also may limit the circumferential movement of the tines, such aswhen the tine contacts an obstruction causing the tine to be dislodgedfrom the groove.

The first and second support members 239, 241 of FIGS. 11-15 may be madeof any material that provides suitable rigidity as described above forthe support members shown FIGS. 1-10. In some embodiments, the first andsecond support members 239, 241 are made of a polymer such as a moldedpolymer (e.g., HDPE, nylon or polyurethane).

The first and second support members 239, 241 include openings 285 (FIG.11) through which support member fasteners (such as bolts and nuts, notshown) extend. In some embodiments, support members fasteners areeliminated and the first and second support members 239, 241 are securedto each other by the friction fit between the pegs 271, 281 and slots273, 283 toward the outer circumference of the support members 239, 241and/or the pins 264 at the center hub 223.

Another embodiment of the rake wheel 315 is shown in FIG. 16. The rakewheel 315 includes grooves (not shown) and is similar to rake wheel 215of FIGS. 11-15; however, the rake wheel 315 does not include ribs at theouter surfaces of the support members.

Another embodiment of the rake wheel is shown in FIGS. 17-19. Thecomponents shown in FIGS. 17-19 that are analogous to those of FIGS.11-15 are designated by the corresponding reference number of FIGS.11-13 plus “300” (e.g., part 110 becomes 410). The rake wheel 415includes a first support member 439 (FIG. 17) and a second supportmember 441 (FIG. 19) with tines 427 being clamped between the first andsecond support members 439, 441.

The rake wheel 415 includes first support disk pegs 471 and firstsupport disk slots 473 that extend around the circumference of the firstsupport member 439. The pegs 471 and slots 473 alternate around thecircumference. The second support disk 441 includes second support diskpegs 481 and second support disk slots 483 (FIG. 15). The first supportdisk pegs 471 and second support disk slots 483 fasten together and thefirst support disk slots 473 and second support disk pegs 481 fastentogether to clamp the tines 427. In the illustrated embodiment, thefirst and second support disks 439, 441 do not include grooves in whichtines are received.

The first support disk 439 includes paired first support member bosses493 (FIG. 18) that extend to paired second support member bosses 495(FIG. 19) of the second support disk 441 near the outer circumference ofthe support members 439, 441. The first support member bosses 493 andsecond support member bosses 495 are radially outward of the pegs 471,481 and slots 473, 483.

Each pair of first disk bosses 493 and pair of second disk bosses 495opposite the first disk pair 493 form a channel through which a tine 427extends. In this manner, the pairs 453, 495 of bosses restrict thecircumferential movement of the tines 427. In various embodiments, thepair of bosses may be separated by about the diameter of the tine or nomore than about 1.1 times the diameter of the tine or no more than about1.25, 1.5, 1.75 or no more about 2 times the diameter of the tines.

Compared to conventional rake wheels, the rake wheels of embodiments ofthe present disclosure have several advantages. By using a supportmember to secure and at least partially limit circumferential movementof the tines, the tines wear less compared to conventional apparatusthat use a support band having apertures through which the tines extend.Partially limiting the circumferential movement of the tines allows therake wheel to be relatively rigid for raking operations but allows thetines to moves slightly or in small amounts relative to the supportmember, which dampens the stress applied to the tine and reduces tinewear. In embodiments in which the support members are made of polymermaterial, noise produced by the rake is reduced compared to conventionalrakes with support bands.

Flexibility between the support member(s) (e.g., annular disks) andtines allows the tines to deflect laterally while raking which causesmore tines to contact the ground. Additional tines contacting the groundreduces the contact force applied through each tine and spreads theweight of the wheel out over the tines. Reduced contact force lessenssoil disturbance and reduces the ash and dirt content in the baledforage, thereby improving the forage content (i.e., depending on the useof the baled material, improved animal health or improved biofuelproduction). The flexibility between the support member(s) and tinesallows the tines to move around obstacles (e.g., rocks) therebypreventing the obstacles from being swept into the windrow, therebyreducing baler damage and increasing the quality of the forage.Flexibility between the support member and tines also allows more tinesto contact the crop causing more crop to be moved into the windrow forbaling leaving less remnant crop in the field.

In embodiments in which the tines are clamped between two supportmembers, the use of at least one tine fastener for every two tinescreates a clamping force sufficient to at least partially limitcircumferential movement of the tines. In embodiments in which the rakewheel includes one or more tine fasteners for every tine, additionalclamping force may be provided. In embodiments in which the supportmember(s) is disk-shaped, the support members also act as a windguardwhich prevents crop material from wrapping around the rake wheel duringuse, particularly in windy conditions.

In embodiments in which the center hub is integrated into the supportdisk as a single piece (e.g., a single molded plastic piece), the rakewheel includes less parts thereby simplifying manufacture and allows therake wheel to be rebuilt more simply (e.g., without welding). The rakewheel may also be capable of being used with different tine diameters(e.g., 6.8 mm, 7.2 mm and 7.5 mm diameter tines).

In embodiments in which the support members include grooves with thetines being received in the grooves, the grooves provide a positiveretention of the tines (i.e., limits the circumferential movement of thetines) but allows the tine to break-away from the groove such as if thetine encounters an obstacle during rotation. Grooves also act as avisual mark for placement of the tines during assembly to simplifyassembly (e.g., to provide a guide to form the correct tine angle). Inembodiments in which the tines link around pins, the pins may providespacing to allow the support members to be clamped against the tineswith optimized clamp load.

In embodiments in which the rake wheel contains paired bosses at or nearthe outer circumference of the first and second support members, thebosses retain the tines and limit their circumferential movement. Thebosses also provide a visual indication for placement of tines duringassembly of the rake wheel.

As used herein, the terms “about,” “substantially,” “essentially” and“approximately” when used in conjunction with ranges of dimensions,concentrations, temperatures or other physical or chemical properties orcharacteristics is meant to cover variations that may exist in the upperand/or lower limits of the ranges of the properties or characteristics,including, for example, variations resulting from rounding, measurementmethodology or other statistical variation.

When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the embodiment(s)thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to meanthat there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,”“including,” “containing” and “having” are intended to be inclusive andmean that there may be additional elements other than the listedelements. The use of terms indicating a particular orientation (e.g.,“top”, “bottom”, “side”, etc.) is for convenience of description anddoes not require any particular orientation of the item described.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methodswithout departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended thatall matter contained in the above description and shown in theaccompanying drawing[s] shall be interpreted as illustrative and not ina limiting sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rake wheel for gathering crop material into awindrow, the rake wheel comprising: a center hub having a rotationalaxis about which the rake wheel rotates; a plurality of tines thatextend outward from the center hub, the tines defining an outercircumference for engaging a surface over which the rake wheel rotates,the rake wheel having a midpoint midway between the rotational axis andthe outer circumference; a first disk having an outer surface and aninner surface, the outer and inner surfaces extending radially towardthe outer circumference of the tines, the first disk radiallyoverlapping the midpoint; a second disk having an outer surface and aninner surface, the outer and inner surfaces extending radially towardthe outer circumference of the tines, the second disk radiallyoverlapping the midpoint, the first and second disks forming the centerhub; and a set of fasteners that extend between the first and seconddisks that clamp the tines between the inner surface of the first diskand the inner surface of the second disk, wherein the disks limitdisplacement of the tines in the axial direction relative to therotational axis and permit the tines to move circumferentially betweenthe disks.
 2. The rake wheel as set forth in claim 1 wherein the set offasteners are a first set of fasteners, the rake wheel furthercomprising a second set of fasteners that secure the plurality of tinesin the center hub.
 3. The rake wheel as set forth in claim 2 wherein thefirst set of fasteners are disposed radially outward of the center hub.4. The rake wheel as set forth in claim 1 wherein each tine contacts theinner surface of the first and second disks.
 5. The rake wheel as setforth in claim 1 wherein the first and second disks are planar.
 6. Therake wheel as set forth in claim 1 wherein each fastener of the set offasteners does not contact a tine.
 7. The rake wheel as set forth inclaim 1 comprising at least one fastener of the set of fasteners forevery two tines.
 8. The rake wheel as set forth in claim 1 comprising atleast one fastener of the set of fasteners for every tine.
 9. The rakewheel as set forth in claim 1 comprising bosses disposed between thefirst and second disks, each tine extending between a pair of bosses tolimit movement of the tine.
 10. The rake wheel as set forth in claim 1wherein the rake wheel does not include a support band that is radiallyspaced from the center hub and having apertures through which each tineextends.
 11. The rake wheel as set forth in claim 1 wherein the firstand second disks are made of a polymer.
 12. The rake wheel as set forthin claim 1 wherein the first disk has an outer circumference and thesecond disk has an outer circumference, each tine being free of supportradially beyond the outer circumferences of the first and second disks.13. The rake wheel as set forth in claim 1 wherein each fastener of theset of fasteners comprises a bolt.